Tire-preparation conveyer



June 25, 1929.

N. H. MYERS ET AL TIRE PREPARATION CONVEYER Filed Aug. 15, 1927 3Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TORJ ELSO/V H. MrERJ, OTTO 5. 802220.

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June 25, 1929. N. H. MYERS ET AL TIRE PREPARATION CONVEYER Filed Aug.15, 192'? 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJ. Name/v /7. f fi/w. ggorra f.80228.

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June 25, 1929. N. H. MYERS ET AL v TIRE PREPARATION CONVEYER 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug 15, 1927 INVENTORY. My. 80 ff, Mwmw, By 0 f.8mm:

z fiwmu ATTORNEWZ Patented June 25,1929

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

NELSON H. MYERS, OF AKRON, ARI) '1'10 E. SUEDE, 0! CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO,A8-

srenons we ran rmasrom: rum

CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AND BUBB EROOMPANY, 0F AKRON, OHIO, A.

TIBIQBEPABA'IIOH CONVEYER.

Application filed August 1mm. was no. 212,868,

This invention relates to conveyers for use in tirefactories. Heretoforeit has been customary to carry the tires on a conveyer to operatives whoremove and carry them to a other operatives who mount the tires in amachine to spread the beads apart to insert the air bag and then torelease the tire to contract on the bag. The tires thus prepared arethen returned to the conveyer.

1a This entails the use of considerable labor and the loss ofconsiderable time.

The general purpose of this invention is to provide an improved conveyerinstallation for tire factories including a conveyer adapted to receiveand spread apart the beads of a pneumatic tire casing along one reachthereof and toconduct the tires along another reach where operatives mayinsert pressure bags in the tires and partially in- 2d ate the bags inpreparation for vulcanization, the spreading means on the conveyer beingreleasable by these operatives to permit the tires to contract about theinserted bags, and the mounting for the tires adapted to permit rotationthereof on the conveyer to facilitate insertion, inflating or otheroperations, the conveyer delivering the tires to the vulcanizers ready,for insertion in the tire molds.

The foregoing and other purposes are attained by the conveyerinstallation illustrated in the accompanying drawings and describedbelow.

Of the accompanying drawings,

Fi re 1 is a side elevation o a conveyer insta lation embod 'ng theinvention;

Figure 2 is a etail side elevation of a unit of said conveyer; and

Figm'e 3 is a transverse section there throu h as on line 3-3 of Figure1.

Re erring to the drawings, the numeral 10 desi tcs the floor level in atire factory at whic the tire vulcanizing operations are performed, andthe numeral 11 indicates a floor level above level 10 at which the tiresmay be delivered from the various tire building, finishing andinspecting operatives to be vulcanized. A conveyer indicated generallyby the numeral 12 is arranged with an upper reach transversing the upperlevel 11 and alower reach transversing the lower level 10 to carry thetires with the beads spreada art from floor 11 to floor 10 where theaginserting and inflating operatives may prepare the tires forvulcanization.

I The conveyer 12 comprises chains 13, 13 travelingalong a trackincluding rails 14,

14' and having hingedly connected thereon sup orts 15, 15 for tirespreaders each inclu grelatively fixed, curved hook mem-' bers 16,16 atthe outer ends of the supports and similar relatively movable, curvedhook members 17 slidable on the supports adjacent the inner endsthereof, and preferably being normally urged toward the fixed ele' mentsb springs 18, 18, but adapted to be releasab y latched in such aposition away from elements 16 as to spread apart the beads of a tireengaged by elements 16 and 17, suitable latching devices being indicatedat 18*, 18. v

To support the tires on the lower reach of the conveyer after releasinthe spreader mechanism, a mounting 19 1s provided for each tire whichpreferably includes spaced rollers 29, 20 which permit rotation of thetire upon the mounting to facilitate insertion of pressure bags,inflation thereof or other operations.

The supports 15 are braced by means of links 21, 21 extending from theouter ends of the support to the pivot of an adjacent support upon theconveyer, the supports 15 accordingly being held substantially at rightangles to the conveyer throughout its movement. A guard plate 22 may bemounted on each support 15.

The latching and releasing mechanism includes a latch 23 pivoted to hookmember 17 and having hook portions 24 24 thereon for adjustablyengaging'in notches in a latch plate 25 secured near the outer end ofeach support 15. For normally urging the latch to engaged position, aspring 26 is employed acting on latch-releasing rod 27 adapted todisengage the latch against the action of this spring being hingedlyconnected to the outer en of latch 23 and sliding on the outer end ofthe support 15, thisrod being provided with a projecting end having ahead 23 thereon arranged to be easily engaged by an operatives oot Inuse, the green tires are mounted in and spread by the spreader deviceswhile the-conveyer is travellng on the upper floor 11, the s read tiresbeing conveyed downwardly to cor 10 where operatives insert the bags andeffectively be removed Modifications of the invention may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the thereof or the sco appendedclaims. What is claime Y '1. In a tire factory, a tire preparationconing the outer en 'veyer installation including a conveyer hav ing onereach on the tire vulcanizing floor and another reach on a higher floorlevel, said conveyer installation including an endless track, an endlessconveyer traveling along the track, supports hingedly mounted at theirinner ends on the conveyer and extendingoutwardl therefrom, linksconnect- ,of the supports with the conveyer to hold the supportssubstantially perpendicular to the conveyer, relatively fixed tirespreader elements on the outer ends of the supports, tire spreaderelements on the inner ends of the supports movable toward and from theouter elements, means normally urging the second-named spreader elementstoward the first-named spreader elements, latching means for securingthe second-named elements in spread-apart re 'lationship with respect tothe first-named spreader elements means at the outer end of eachsplpport ior releasing the latching means, an a roller mounting for atire on the outer end of each support.

2. In a tire conveyer, a tire preparation conveyer installationincluding a conveyer having one reach on the tire vulcanizing floor andanother reach on a higher floor level, said conveyer installationincluding an endless track, an endless conveyer travel- I ing along thetrack, supports mounted at heir inner ends on the conveyer and extendingoutwardly therefrom, relatively fixed tire spreader elements on theouter ends of the supports, tire spreader elements on the inner ends ofthe supports movable to ward and from the outer elements, means normallyurging the second-named spread- I or elements toward the first-namedspreader elements, latching means for securing the second-named elementsin spread 'apart relationship with respect to the first-named spreaderelements means at the outer end of each support or releasing thelatching means, and a roller mounting for a tire on I the outer end ofeach support.

3. In a tire factory, a tire preparation conveyer installation includinga conveyer having one reach on the tire vulcanizmg floor and anotherreach on a higher floor level, said conveyer installation including anendless track, an endless conveyer travcling along the track, supportsmounted at be rotatedon its mounting.

their inner ends on the conveyer and extending outwardly therefrom,relatively fixed tire spreader elements on the outer ends of thesupports, tire spreader elements on the inner ends of the supportsmovable toward and from the outer elements, means normally urgingthesecond-named spreader elements toward the first-named's reader elements,latching means for securing the second-named elements in spread-apartrelationship with respect to the first-named spreader elements, means atthe outer end of each support for releasin the latching means, and amounting for a tire on the outer end of each support.

4. In a tire factory, a tire preparation conveyer installation includinga conveyer having one reach on the tire vulcanizing floor and anotherreach on a higher floor level, said conveyer installation including anendless track, an endless conveyer traveling along the track, supportsmounted at their inner ends on the conve er and extending outwardlytherefrom, re atively fixed tire spreader elements on the outer ends ofthe supports, tire spreader elements on the inner ends of the supportsmovable toward and from .the outer elements, means normally urging thesecond-named spreader elements toward the first-named spreader elements,latching means for securing the second-named elements in spread-apartrelationship with respect to the first-named spreader elements, meansfor releasing the latching means, and a mounting for a tire on the outerend of each support.

. 5. Ina tire factory, a tire preparation conveyer installationincluding a conveyer having one reach on the tire vulcanizing floor andanother reach on a higher floor, said conveyer installation including anendless traveling conveyer, supports on the conveyer, extendin outwardlytherefrom, tire spreaders on t e supports, means for releasably securingthe tire spreaders in spread-apart relationship, and a tire mounting onthe outer end of each support.

6. In a tire factory, conveyer means for delivering tires in successionto the vulcanizing department with their bead spread 9. art wherebypressure bags may be inserted therein, and means for releasing the tiresto permit contracting of the tires onto the inserted b s and removal ofthe prepared tires from t e conveyer means.

7. That method. of preparing tires for vulcanization which comprisesspreading the beads of the tires apart, passin the spread tires insuccession alon a pat inserting pressure bags in said tires, andreleasin the tires permitting them to contract onto t e bags while theyare travelin 8. That method of preparing tires or vulcanization whichcomprises spreading the beads of the tires apart, passing the spreadtires in succession along a path, and inserting pressure bags in saidtires while they are traveling. j

9. The combination with a travelin conveyer of tire spreading unitsmounte upon said conveyer, said units each including a support extendingfrom the conveyer, rela-.

tively movable spreader elements on the support, yielding means urgingthe elements relatively toward each other, means for releasabl latchingthe elements against the action 0 the yielding means, and means forreleasing the latching means.

10. The combination with a traveling conveyer of tire spreading unitsmounted upon said conveyer, said units each including a support,relatively movable spreader ele ments on the support, means forreleasably latching the elements, and means for releasing the'latchingmeans.

11. The combination with a traveling conveyer of tire spreading unitsmounted upon said conveyer, said units each including a supportextending from the conveyer, relatively movable spreader elements on thesupport, yielding means urging the elements relatively toward eachother, and means for releasabl latchin the elements against the action 0the yiel ing means.

12. The combination with a traveling conveyer of tire spreading unitsmounted upon said conveyer, said units each including a support,relatively movable spreader. elements on the support, and means forreleasably latching the elements.

13. The combination with a traveling conveyer of tire spreading unitsmounted upon sald conveyer.

NELSON H. MYERS. OTTO E. SORDS.

